...The PUCL would like to bring to the notice of all the situation at Singer Village, Kashipur, Rayagada, Odisha, that reports have been coming in from the early hours today, 16/10/2023, that women from Banteji village are being prevented by police and not being allowed to proceed to public hearing for Vedanta's Sijimali Bauxite Mining Project...

Women have been beaten up and some women have also been seriously injured in Bantij village. Latest reports state that the entire village is being cleared up by armed police and company hired goons. The public hearing is a part of the environment impact assessment for bauxite mining in order to establish if the locals are in favor or against the Sijimali bauxite mining project. It is supposed to evaluate if there will be any ecological damage to botanical and zoological species which might be significant from an economical, medicinal, nutritional and larger ecosystem services point of view for the local people as well as from the point of view of conservation of the local ecology.

The PUCL had earlier written to the state pollution control board, to cancel the public hearing citing fear and intimidation by the police and the company walas of the villagers...